So during my first weightlifting meet (totaled 192kg [81/111]) I was being told that the bar is crashing down on me while I lift; the final weights should've been my openers I've heard. Watching video from the lifts I was dropping under the weights and in a full squat almost before the barbell started to descend.

How can I teach myself to meet the bar better?

Susie Rosenberg

11-17-2008 07:06 AM

Brian, I dunno 'bout any of that stuff, but it was great to meet you and congratulations on doing so well in your first meet. I think you did awesome..:)

Susie

Arden Cogar Jr.

11-17-2008 07:49 AM

Brian,
Sounds to me, like you could benefit from doing some tall movements. I'll defer to others, but I think you need to start with the bar and learn to catch the bar smoothly from the tall position. There's some great instructional videos in the Resources page here.

Personally, I'm doing a ton of tall and hang movements for a different reason - I have an aversion to getting under the bar. For an intirely different reason, i think these movments would be beneficial to you in learning to not "undershoot" the bar when you're going into the third pull.

I would do them as part of your warm ups for your main movements. No need to go overboard. But you will need to teach yourself to be smooth on that third pull. Meet the bar. Don't let it topple on you.

Be patient. It will come in time.

All the best,
Arden

Patrick Donnelly

11-17-2008 08:08 AM

Do you have the videos from the meet? It would be helpful (and cool in general) to see them.

Brian DeGennaro

11-17-2008 08:41 AM

Yeah, I just uploaded 2 vids of my 2nd snatch and 3rd clean and jerk. 116kg s the heaviest weight I've handled by the way (6kg+).

Thankyou, Susie. It was great to meet you! Hopefully I can qualify for Jr. Nationals soon.

Pretty common problem with cleans, particularly at your stage when you're clearly able to pull a lot more than you're cleaning (in other words, it's easy to over pull). Arden's suggestion of doing tall cleans is a good one. Also, try doing a set with a fairly light weight in which you do maybe 3 reps and receive each one at a different level. In other words, on the first rep, power clean it high; next, power clean it low (on both PCs, ride it down into a squat after receiving it); next, try to receive it right around parallel. This should help you get a better sense of where you and the bar are relative to each other - the key is that you have to receive the bar wherever it is - if you pull it high, you better be up there to get it.

Garrett Smith

11-17-2008 11:53 AM

Nice job, Brian!

You definitely had a lot more weight in you for the snatch, that looked easy.

What did you weigh in at?

EDIT: I was also told that my openers were way too light. Heck, I started with 60kg, ended with 77kg, my coach told me my last lift was my best & strongest.

I missed my C&J 116 too...

Brian DeGennaro

11-17-2008 11:57 AM

Weighed in at 74.6, including my sweatpants.

Greg, would you recommend doing that type of clean from the floor only or should I mix it up with hang and blocks?

Greg Everett

11-17-2008 12:22 PM

Brian -

You can mix it up, but I'd stick mainly with the floor since that's really what you need to learn. You can get more gas on the bar pulling from the floor, which means you have more potential crashing problems, so that seems like the best thing to work on.